You're the Only One I See
by Rochelle B
Summary: (RLSB, Follows 'Should Have Been) Sirius is pretty sure he should be happy: He's free, he has Remus back and he has a son... But when the world is falling apart at your feet it's hard to see the silver lining.
1. Twelve Years Gone

You're the Only One I See

Author: Rochelle B

Series: The Pack. Sequel to 'Should Have Been'.

Rating: Most likely PG-13

Title: Comes From "Stupid" By Sarah McLachlan, which is also the song that inspired this story.

Pairings: Remus/Sirius and some light Ron/OMC. Everything else is mostly cannon.

Warnings: Slash, violence, language, a Manipulative Dumbledore, and character death.

Summery: After being called to Grimmauld Place, much to Sirius dismay, Remus is given the job of convincing the Werewolves to side with them. Meanwhile Sirius begins to wonder about Albus motives.

Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, Romance, Slash.

Notes: We are now officially in the 'Alternate Universe' since as far as I know none of this happened in Order of the Phoenix. Not that such events wouldn't have been cool… Anyway, the tale takes a bit of a darker twist here and doesn't focus on Sirius and Remus as much as 'SHB' does. We see the other characters a lot and will, at times, have entire chapters where they aren't seen. Just so you know.

Chapter One

Twelve Years Gone

Sirius winced and put his finger in his mouth, glaring at the pan that had burned him. Evil pan…how Remus managed to come from a Wizarding family yet still master the art of cooking was beyond him. He'd spent years in the kitchen, with the servants when he was young, yet couldn't make a sausage without causing himself seriously bodily harm.

Soft footsteps drew his attention from his injured finger to the doorway, where his son was watching him with wide blue eyes. Siri's hair was damp and instead of him leaving it loose, as he was prone to do anytime before noon, it was done in a messy and hastily done braid. He was already dressed, in spite of the early hour, and had his shoes in one hand. He'd obviously been intending to go somewhere.

Sirius managed a feeble smile, not honest in the least. He was a touch nervous, wondering if the teen was aware of what had been going on in the room below him. It'd been a few weeks since he'd arrived here, and probably the happiest Sirius had been in a very long time.

He couldn't help but wonder if the teen approved of him suddenly reappearing. Sure, Siri seemed to like him well enough, but he worried if he wasn't…intruding.

Siri padded over to him and glanced into the pan. He was still for a moment then grabbed a potholder and held it out to him. Sirius took it wondering if the teen intended to speak.

The answer, it seemed, was no. He just began to drift around the room, cleaning up the mess Sirius had successfully made.

"What're you up to today?"

"Gonna visit Chase." The teen said simply as he pushed a bunch of eggshells into the garbage. "Uncle Severus' son."

That peaked Sirius' interest. "Snape's son? He's not as big a git as his father is, is he?"

"You're as bad as Da." The teen rolled his eyes.

"If by bad you mean honest, than yes, I am. Snape has always, and will always, be a greasy haired bastard. Nothing short of the end of the world will convince me otherwise." He realized, with a start, he was waving a wooden spoon at the teen that was having a very hard time keeping a straight face. So much for imposing and stern.

"Well Chase…he's not exactly a lot like Severus, or a git or a bastard if you really want to know. He just…knows everything. Literally, actually. He's a seer which is why he always beats me in every game we play." Siri shrugged. "It can, and does, get a bit annoying after a few hours of it but he can't help it."

"A seer…" That was familiar. He'd known of a seer when he was younger… "Autumn. His mother, his mother's name is Autumn."

"Yep. You knew her?"

"A little. She was a year ahead of me. A bit of a-"

"Nutter? Chase said she was a psycho bitch, but Da says I shouldn't repeat that."

"Then you shouldn't. But she was." The more Sirius though about it, the more he remembered. A year ahead of him, she'd literally dropped out of Hogwarts during his fifth, amid rumors of insanity, murder, and pregnancy. Yet for the next two years she was spotted a few times, by him and Remus mostly, with Severus Snape inside of Hogwarts.

Sirius had always thought it odd an older (beautiful) Gryffindor in the company of a sniveling bastard like Snape, but who was he to challenge it?

Besides, she'd ended up fucking Voldemort (And going down in history as the most deadly witch of her time while doing it) and losing her mind. The Death Eaters in Azkaban hated her almost as much as Wormtail. As a seer they all felt she should have seen their Lord's downfall, yet she either hadn't or hadn't spoken of it.

"And she had a kid with Snape. Poor guy."

"Chase or Uncle Severus?"

"Both actually." The woman had been totally off her rocker.

They fell into silence after that. Siri sat down at the table and watched him silently; head propped up on his palms with blue eyes following his every move. It was a little unnerving to have the teen's absolute concentration on him. …Actually, it was a lot unnerving. He wondered if the teen watched Remus as intently…but doubted it. Remus was likely to have a breakdown of sorts under this much scrutiny.

The werewolf had never really handled stress that well.

"I'm not really much of a cook so…you might want to poke it to make sure it's not alive." He advised setting a plate of slightly burnt French toast and sausage in front of Siri who smiled wryly then poked his food obligingly.

"Remus knows you're going?"

"That's arguable. If I'm not here when he wakes up he always knows where to find me, but he never actually gives permission. I think he'd have a heart attack from the shock if I actually took the time to ask."

Sirius smiled, deciding to take the teen's word for it, then went about making a plate for Remus with the intention of taking it to him once Siri left. Siri ate wordlessly, but Sirius was more concerned about whether or not he'd just poisoned his child. Siri seemed okay though and put his plate in the sink when he was finished.

"Later. Tell Da good morning. And that a shower would be appreciated if he plans on keeping secrets." Siri called, scooping up his shoes and leaving the kitchen. Sirius frowned, wondering what exactly that was supposed to mean.

He heard the front door shut a few seconds later and, shrugging mentally, grabbed Remus' plate. He stopped to survey the mess he'd made of Remus' kitchen (even with the work Siri had done it was still a sty) then walked out, making a mental note to get that mess later on.

He found Remus in his bedroom, pouring over some books. A pair of oval wire-rim glasses sat on the end of the brunette's nose and Sirius was willing to bet they were the same reading glasses he had back at Hogwarts. Remus' eyesight was, naturally, better than that of your average person. So good, in fact, that he got headaches from it without the enchanted glasses he wore.

He set the plate on the desk and Remus blinked then looked up at him, confusion giving way to a slightly bemused look. He scratched his head, unintentionally making his already messy bed head that much worse, and took his glasses off.

"You…cooked? And nothing burnt down?"

"No, nothing burned down." Sirius' tone was nothing short of mocking. "Do you have no faith in me Remus?"

Remus smiled slightly but Sirius caught the small flicker of pain in his expression. He tilted his head off to the side, wondering if he should ask when Remus sniffed the plate, then made a slight face, and held the fork out to him. 

"You try it first."

Sirius narrowed his eyes in false anger. "Are you trying to say something Remmie?"

"Not trying to no. I thought it was rather clear. You can't cook, so you eat it first."

"Siri ate it."

"He's thirteen; he can and will eat anything. I'm…a considerable amount older."

"Thirty-seven." Sirius supplied. Remus stared at him, managing to look quite aghast as if Sirius had just said something that wasn't meant to ever be said. "Well you are. Quit looking at me like that."

"Do you want to sleep in the guest bedroom?"

"The question isn't do I want to, its do you really want me to?" Sirius said, smirking. Remus just laughed quietly then, smiling mildly, leaned back in his seat.

"I don't believe we actually grew up. I'm quite in awe."

"Now now Wendy, growing older doesn't always involve growing up. You're just as immature as I remember you. Which isn't saying a lot, since you were always the most mature, stick-up-the-arse person I knew."

Remus' hand shot out but Sirius ducked. "Bugger off and quit trying to stall."

Sirius rolled his eyes but picked up the fork all the same. Giving Remus a rather pointed look he took a bite of the French toast. He blinked then licked a stray dribble of syrup from his lip before nodding to himself. 

"That actually taste pretty good." He made to go from another piece but Remus swatted his hand away. "Moony! You didn't want it." 

Remus took back the fork. "I said nothing of the sort. Just that I was more comfortable with you trying it first. Besides, didn't you make some for yourself, oh master chef?"

"…no." Sirius shrugged some. "You don't have any more eggs."

Remus stopped, fork a few inches from his mouth. "I just bought some yesterday."

Sirius scratched his head, looking sheepish. "Well it took a few tries to get it right."

Remus just stared at him for a long moment then snorted. Sirius watched him eat for a moment then looked around the bedroom, trying to think of what he should be doing. He'd have to check in with Albus eventually, but he knew the minute the man was aware that everything had been sorted out he'd have to leave in order to handle Order affairs and he really didn't want to.

"I should write Harry and see how he's doing." He said absently. He looked back at the other man when Remus started choking on his food. Sirius looked down at him, alarmed. Maybe the taste was deceiving. Maybe more than one bite sent a person straight to the grave.

Maybe being thirteen really did give one a stomach of iron. He distinctly recalled eating all sorts of junk when he was that age.

Remus held up a hand to show he was okay then took a deep breath to calm himself.

"I completely forgot." Remus said, more to himself then to Sirius. He opened the drawer of the desk and pulled out a folded piece of parchment. "Hedwig brought this a little while ago. I meant to give it to you but…I got distracted. Sorry."

Sirius shrugged and took the letter from him, unraveling it quickly. "I understand. It's been a touch hectic."

"If by hectic you mean I've been having a hard chance getting you to let me out of the bedroom, then yes, I agree." Sirius studiously ignored him and made himself focus on his godson's small and less than neat print.

Damn Remus and his thinly veiled sexual invitations… He made it damn hard to concentrate on much of anything. Nothing new of course.

_Dear Snuffles,  
I just wanted to make sure you were okay after everything that happened and that you made it to Remus' without any trouble. I made it back home all right and the Dursley's aren't bothering me anymore, so you don't need to worry about any of that. I'll be careful as well, so don't worry about that either. I think Dumbledore might let me go visit the Weasley's later on in the summer, so I have something to look forward to at least.  
Write back when you can and tell Remus I said hi. I hope you two are still getting along okay.  
Harry.  
_  
He refolded the letter and glanced at Remus who was staring at him. He raised an eyebrow then grinned as a blush spread across the man's cheeks.

"He just wanted to make sure I was alright. Went through a lot of trouble to assure me he was fine-"

"And, with your overly suspicious mind, you fail to believe him."

"You always did know me better than I knew myself. He says hi by the way. Hopes we're getting along." Remus' lips twitched and undoubtedly his mind was on a purity level akin to that of a French sewer. That did bring up a good point though. "Do you think I should…tell him about this?"

"Well…I suppose it's not really up to me. Harry's your godson and Siri is your son, I think…you should decide." He looked up at the ceiling and Sirius knew something was weighing on his mind heavily.

"Out with it Remus."

"You know I adore Harry." Remus' tone softened. "But Siri is my son and I don't want anything to happen to him. Harry has a tendency to…well he's nearly killed at least once a year, every year, and usually a lot more. It's…worrisome. And this stuff with Voldemort being back and the Order being reformed…"

Sirius pursed his lips and sat on the bed, resting his elbows on his knees. "You don't want Siri involved in any of it."

Remus turned in his chair so they were facing each other. "No, I suppose I don't. I talked to Albus about it and he made a good argument. Siri would be a great help at Brookridge or Hogwarts, if we wanted to transfer him out." Sirius couldn't help but pick up on the 'we' in Remus' statement. He smiled slightly. "And he can more than take care of himself…but, by that same token, he's a child. It's bad enough Harry has the weight of the world on his shoulders, I don't want to force that on Siri as well."

"Does Siri have an opinion?" Sirius wanted all sides before he gave his opinion.

"Oh please, he's thirteen. Of course he wants to be involved." Remus rolled his eye dismissively. "But he also likes Snape, so I'm forced to call all of his decisions into speculation."

"Well…if he could be a help, and he wants to help, telling him no is likely to do nothing but make him dig his heels in more. That's what it would have done to us." Sirius was sure he saw Remus' eye twitch. "I get why you don't want him involved. It's dangerous…but don't you think keeping in the dark will just make it more dangerous than if he realized what was going on."

"…I hate it when you're right." Remus muttered, slumping low in his chair. "Do you think I'm wrong for wanting to keep him here? He keeps telling me he isn't a child anymore but…he's still my pup. I can't just let go."

Sirius nodded. "It's not wrong, I don't think. Just…what you want."

"You know what else I want?" Remus said, sitting up. His eyes were bright and Sirius had the strangest feeling that not only was the conversation over, but more interesting pursuits would be explored. He certainly had no objections.

"No, but I'm sure you'd like to show-" A loud buzzing sound filled the house and Sirius blinked owlishly. "Me. What's that?"

"Alarm system. The Ministry likes to make surprise visits from time to time, to ensure that nothing weird is going on, and it gets to be a pain in the ass to have child services clucking disapprovingly while Siri and I try to clean up and look presentable."

"I would imagine so. Can you tell them to go away?"

"I'll see what I can do." Remus said, standing up and walking towards the door. Sirius changed into his dog form and trotted after him. The world was so much different when it was in black and white that much was for sure.

He followed Remus to the front door and sat back on his haunches while the werewolf opened the door. A scent he knew, and loathed, drifted to him and he growled, while changing back. He stayed away from the front door nonetheless; you never knew who could be standing around, watching. Remus sighed, making a face but standing aside to let the man in.

"Snape."

"Lupin. Black." The man hesitated a moment then arched an eyebrow. "You couldn't refrain from having sex for even a week could you? You couldn't at least shower before answering the door?"

Remus turned pink and took a step back, looking something close to mortified. "You can smell it can't you?" Snape just stared. "No wonder Siri ran the minute he woke up." He turned and started walking away and Sirius was sure he heard something about being a horrible father.

"What?"

"I can smell you two all over each other." Snape said, shutting the door behind him.

"And if he can smell it, Siri had to." Remus' voice was coming from God only knew where within the house. "Master vampire or not, Snape isn't as good as Siri."

Sirius considered that, and his son's comment about showering, with a slightly frown. "Ah."

"I think you may overestimate you son Lupin." Snape said, walking deeper into the house. Sirius crossed his arms over his chest, wondering if it'd be bad manners to rip off Snape's arms and beat him with them. He said as much and heard Remus snort then choke.

"I wouldn't. The Scottish Den would be forced to avenge my death." Snape didn't even look back at him. "And I imagine Siri would be upset."

The buzzing stopped suddenly and Remus walked out of a large closet, wiping his hands on his pants leg. "Because you're armless, or because Chase would have to take over?"

"Take over what?" Snape's mouth twisted. "As the figure head of the most boring group of vampires to ever grace the face of the earth? He'd probably do a better job than I do."

"Right." Remus looked skeptical, then glanced over Snape's shoulder at Sirius. "I'll have to show you a picture of Chase, but try to imagine a 5'4 boy with bleach blond hair and about ten earrings. Not exactly Master Vampire material."

"Uh hu. Why is Snape a Master Vampire?"

Master Vampires were the ones who ruled over a Den, a Den being for vampires what a Pack was for werewolves. If Sirius remembered his history correctly, and he probably didn't, they were determined by bloodlines as well as power. A Master Vampire was to be respected and obeyed by his Den, and even the Ministry steered clear of their sort.

…But it was Snape.

"While you were in Azkaban-" Sirius couldn't help but fell a dark shiver run up his spine. "The former leader decided it was time to move on. I was forced to take over, after a fashion. As long as my father is alive I don't have to do anything, and I fail to see what could happen to him in St. Mungo's."

"Is everyone you know insane?" Sirius asked. Remus glowered at him and he shrugged. It was a perfectly legitimate question. Snape's gaze turned even colder than it normally was and Sirius frowned. Right. Vampire, Snape was a vampire. Vampire who'd worked for Voldemort at one point, and had probably killed more people than he'd slept with. (Not to say the number of people he'd slept with was an overly high number…)

Where as he was just…well, him.

Why did he continually forget that? …Maybe because Snape was an idiot all through school? It was very hard to reconcile his image of Snape with the new 'big leader of the Scottish Den' vampire bloke.

"I came to talk to you about Chase."

"Is he okay?" Remus asked, walking towards the kitchen. Sirius winced slightly and considered leaving the room. It wasn't like Remus had any interest in Snape and Snape pretty much hated them, order to be civil aside. He sincerely doubted he had anything to worry about. "Oh my god. Sirius, what did you do to my kitchen!"

Yeah, time to go. "I'm going to take a shower."

He glared at Snape, trying to indicate that he didn't care how much he'd changed; he was still the little greasy haired punk from Hogwarts. But the vampire just snarled back, not looking impressed. A pot came flying from somewhere and both men ducked. It sailed over their heads and out of a window. Sirius blinked.

"That was rather uncalled for." Sirius muttered, before dashing away, lest Remus get it into his head to throw something else. He was halfway down the hall when he paused, considering.

He trusted Remus…but again, this was Snape. It was his experience that Snape would, and had, done everything in his endless quest to annoy the living hell out him. (Not that Sirius hadn't given as good as he'd gotten over the years…)

He sighed, turning around. He'd take a shower after Snape got lost. He was walking back when he heard Remus speak, a touch of sheepishness to his voice.

"Sorry about that. Sirius wouldn't have left if not for the threat of bodily harm." That made Sirius arch an eyebrow. Remus had been trying to get rid of him? Already he was glad he'd forgone the shower. He stayed still, knowing any noise out of the ordinary would alert Remus and Snape to the fact he was…well…

Okay, he was eavesdropping. But it was for the greater good.

"I noticed."

"What's wrong with Chase?"

"Beyond the obvious mind numbing visions of a near apocalyptic future?" Snape deadpanned. "And the increasing prospect of insanity before he graduates from school? I'd have to say he's rather well."

"Snape-" Remus sounded oddly soothing. It wasn't a tone Sirius would have thought he'd hear anyone take with Snape, let alone Remus, but there it was.

"You should teach your dog to think before he speaks." Snape's voice sounded very…strained. Sirius bit his lower lip. "Or at least to choose his supposed insults more wisely."

"He doesn't know." Remus said, his voice so quiet Sirius nearly missed it. "Its not easy to try and fill someone in on twelve years of a life they've missed."

Remus was apologizing on his behalf.

He almost wanted to laugh. It was a bit like being in school. When he would pull a prank and end up hurting people in the process, Remus was always ready to placate who'd ever been caught in the crossfire and sooth over hurt feelings.

Two decades later and Remus was still cleaning up his mess.

He couldn't help but feel, as he walked to the bathroom slowly, that he should be doing more than laying around with Remus all day. He had missed over ten years of life, and he still only had small pieces of what had gone on.

And, because of that, he'd actually managed to hurt the likes of Severus Snape, who was supposed to be heartless. Or…maybe hurt was too broad a term…he'd affected him at least. Once upon a time he probably would have marked this day off on a calendar and declared it an unofficial holiday, worthy of skipping class, work, and anything else that needed to be done.

But, and this must have been that whole growing up thing Remus was in awe of, he found it didn't feel that good. It was kind of…hollow.


	2. Vampies Never Have Good News

You're the Only One I See

Notes: This chapter is short compared to the 7/8/9 pages I usually churn out. I was sorely tempted to put some other stuff into and then decided it was fine as is.

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Chapter Two

Vampires Never Have Good News

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"Sorry about that. Sirius wouldn't have left if not for the threat of bodily harm." Remus said with a wry smile. He loved Sirius but sometimes the other man just didn't know when to keep his mouth shut. Apparently tact wasn't something he'd grown over the years.

Not that he could blame Sirius for that. And he wasn't mad or anything. Just kind of wished the other man would think before he spoke.

"I noticed." Snape's lips were pressed into a thin line. Remus regarded him with a frown. Snape wouldn't like to admit it but he wore his emotions very plainly, but at the moment there was…nothing. Not even his usual air of annoyance.

That was worrisome. He couldn't imagine Sirius' words would cut that deep. True Snape was borderline insanely protective of his son, but…well it was Sirius. Snape usually took everything he had to say and ignored it.

Which was exactly what Sirius did about everything Snape had to say. It balanced out nicely that way in Remus' honest opinion.

"So what's wrong with Chase?" He knew that Snape wasn't so disturbed by anything but the young vampire. Everything else in the world ranked somewhere around 'annoying distraction' so to get under Snape's skin it had to be serious.

"Beyond the obvious mind numbing visions of a near apocalyptic future?" Snape deadpanned. "And the increasing prospect of insanity before he graduates from school? I'd have to say he's rather well."

"Snape-" Remus tried to keep his voice soothing without being condescending. He'd thought that Chase was improving. Or at least improving as much as any person ever could when they would ultimately just get worse.

That was probably the worst thing about Chase's…condition. He'd suffer a vision and be weak for weeks, sleeping and barely eating. And then he'd get better, healing completely. And for a time everything would be deceptively normal…and then another vision. It was a very nasty cycle.

"You should teach your dog to think before he speaks." Snape's voice sounded very…strained. Like he was having a hard time keeping his emotions under control. Something in his flickered and Remus could see the storm inside. And then his eyes once again went blank.

"Or at least to choose his supposed insults more wisely." Snape said, looking away from him. This was the part where he beat himself up for showing weakness. Snape lived on the defensive, mistrusting everyone and sure that danger lurked around every corner.

He hated the idea of someone knowing him, being able to see past his carefully constructed 'Mean Potions Master' mask. Just one of the many things on the long list of why Snape claimed to not be able to stand him. He said Remus saw too much.

And maybe he did.

"He doesn't know." Remus rubbed at the bridge of his nose as he tried to find the right words to explain what exactly Sirius didn't know. He couldn't find them. "Its not easy to try and fill someone in on twelve years of a life they've missed."

"Try harder. I know cramming knowledge into Black's empty head can't be that much of a task for you." Snape's voice had a familiar edge of harshness to it.

Remus made a gesture that would be considered rude by most but only made Snape's lips quirk. They were back to their usual way of dealing with each other.

"I assume Albus has sent you with a message."

Dumbledore had, according to Siri (Who got his information second hand from Chase) been keeping Snape very busy the past few weeks. Remus didn't harbor any illusions concerning what Albus was using Snape for and wasn't even going to try and hide how much he didn't like it.

He understood they needed someone inside of the Death Eater fold but Snape was a bad idea for two reasons. The first being that Snape was only loyal to Snape and had never put up an image of being anything but. (Oddly enough that didn't worry Remus too much.) The second reason was that it was a whole new, unexplored level of dangerous.

It seemed pretty obvious to Remus that Snape would seem like a spy to the Dark Lord and those around him. He worked for Albus, was the second highest ranking professor, hadn't come when the Dark Lord called, and had been given every chance over the past four years to kill Harry and hadn't done it.

Hell, if Remus was in the Dark Lord's position he would have killed him on sight. Maybe that was just him though.

"But of course. The puppet master pulls the strings and I dance." Snape gave a slight mockery of a bow while his lips twisted into a dark smile.

Ah. He was in a good mood. How nice.

"Does he know you call him that?"

"I should imagine so."

Snape gave a listless shrug to show just how little he cared. Remus knew better. Snape was terrified of Albus and whatever power the vampire thought he had. Remus only knew of two other people who commanded the same kind of respect from Snape; Lucius Malfoy and the Dark Lord.

Remus was pretty sure Snape was just paranoid. Or perhaps was so against the idea of being forced to work for someone else that he'd…crafted reasons to distrust Dumbledore. Because the vampire was very cautious around Albus. While he let his disdain for the man be public he was also careful to never let his guard down around him. Never was Snape so on guard as when he was within the walls of Hogwarts.

Why he mistrusted the Hogwarts headmaster so much was beyond Remus. He would have expected him to be indebted to him for even allowing him into Hogwarts, much as Remus was.

He wasn't going to lie and say he agreed with everything Dumbledore did, but he very much owed the man for…well his life. Siri's life.

"Stop that." Snape was scowling at him. He arched an eyebrow, wondering what exactly he'd done to annoy the other man. (Mostly so he could be sure to do it again)

"What exactly?"

Snape regarded him silently for a moment then rolled his eyes. He muttered what sounded suspiciously like 'poor excuse for a throw rug' but Remus decided not to press it.

"You and the dog are to go to Grimmauld Place and he's supposed to 'lay low'. Pettigrew was kind enough to inform Voldemort of Black's ability to become a dog and the Death Eaters have taken to killing every large black animal that crosses their path." Snape's lips quirked. "It'd be amusing if it weren't so idiotic."

Snape had a sense of humor that could only be described as 'unique'. Or perhaps 'twisted' but Remus preferred not to take it quite that far. Besides, Snape would probably think it a compliment.

Probably because he was a really twisted bloke.

"Then again," Snape continued almost musingly. "I'm afraid the Death Eaters were never the brightest bunch of Wizards in the world. I think Voldemort purposefully surrounded himself with fools to ensure that he'd never be challenged."

"I'm glad you think so highly of yourself."

Snape snorted. "Voldemort wanted me for my political ties and my skill in potions and because he knew I was entirely too disinterested to challenge him, nothing more or less. There were better Potions Masters and vampires higher on the political scale…I was just more complacent. I assure you I'm far too old for delusions of grandeur."

"You're a child, albeit a perverse one, by vampire status."

"And a perverted old man by human standards."

"I actually think you're perverse by all standards." Remus said musingly.

Just as he'd suspected, Snape looked flattered. And then slightly amused. "How kind of you Remus. Sadly tales of my perversity are highly exaggerated."

Vampires were probably the darkest of the Dark Creatures, outdoing even Deamons in terms of pure power and disposition. While it was possible to become an unwilling werewolf (as Remus was proof of) to become a vampire one had to know full well what they were entering into.

Vampirism was as much a disease of the mind as it was one of the body. If one didn't have the proper mental state the vampirism wouldn't take and they'd become the laughing stock of the creature community: Zombies.

Nasty business a Zombie was. To be one was to pretty much announce to the world that you were too weak to be a true dark creature and instead were more cut out for a life of eating rotting flesh and obeying orders like a mindless drone.

Remus had met a Zombie once, while he was with Snape. He'd almost been ill. They didn't last too long before they decomposed and turned into a thick putrid sludge and Remus had been given the privilege of watching the process.

Apparently the sludge was useful in a variety of potions and Snape had needed to gather some.

Remus could have lived without the experience.

While it was true that Snape had been born what he was it was just as true that if a vampire didn't have the right mind for they'd go mad. Snape was probably one of the few sane people that Remus knew, sad to say.

It was strange that in order for a vampire to be sane they had to be sick and 'unnatural' by normal definitions. Then again, the same could be said for all dark creatures. That was what made them 'Dark'. The fact that they were able to do things that others wouldn't or couldn't without a second thought.

Which made Remus uneasy at times.

"Lupin?"

"What? Oh, I was… Did Albus want to say anything else?"

"Nothing that can't wait until the meeting." Snape said, frowning some. "I need you to look after Chase for a time. His brother is busy with business and the puppet master has plans for me."

Snape's son had a half-brother named Brennan. Remus didn't know him that well but Siri seemed to like him well enough.

"You want me to take him to Order Headquarters." Remus said slowly wondering if he'd heard the other man wrong.

"I can't leave him alone."

Remus nodded. "Okay. Siri could use the company. Somehow I doubt he's going to get on with the Weasleys well."

Snape sniffed. "The boy has taste."

Matter of opinion.

Snape's lips quirked as if he was reading Remus' mind. Which was a very real possibility considering who and what he was. With Snape you just could never really be sure what the hell he could and couldn't do when properly motivated. Mostly because you didn't know what he was capable of until you'd already fallen victim to it.

Remus couldn't help but think back to his seventh year at Hogwarts and the killings that had taken place there. Brutal killings that looked like a dark creature had done them, prompting the Ministry to send Slayers to Hogwarts. (1)

He'd thought Snape an annoying, slimy, all around useless waste of space. By the end of the year he'd realized he was an annoying, slimy, all around useless waste of space who had no qualms with snapping the neck of someone who tried to wave a holy relic in his face and then burying them out in the Forbidden Forest as if nothing had ever happened.

Which hadn't improved his opinion of the man any. After all, he had snapped the neck of a man then gone out into the night to bury him somewhere in the Forbidden Forest. That just wasn't normal behavior.

It had prompted him to make Sirius learn a little self-control though.

"Chase is at the manor." Snape said and by the tone of his voice Remus could tell he was ready to get on with his affairs. "I'll be at Grimmauld Place within the week to check up on him."

Remus nodded. Snape knew his way out and so started for the front door. Remus shoved his hands into his pockets then looked around. He could tell that the peaceful 'family' game they'd been playing out was officially over.

Time to rejoin the real world.

Only of course the real world was on the verge of a nasty war that most people were too foolish to realize was about to break out. Things were, without a doubt, teetering on the edge of hell.

And he needed a shower

---------------------

1. As seen in "World On Fire" which is the second story in this series and, sorry, isn't out yet. Mostly because I'm not done with "Wake Me Up Inside", the first story in this series. And no, I don't write in order.


	3. Returning Home

You're the Only One I see

Chapter Two

Returning Home

"So the basic gist," Sirius was saying as he and Remus walked around the lake. "Is that this kid, Chase, can know about me, because he probably already knows about me."

"Yep."

"I guess that makes sense."

Remus nodded. "Snape said Chase probably knows more about what's going on than any of us do, but hasn't realized it. And Snape doesn't try to keep things from him."

"I suppose trying to hide things from a Seer is pointless."

"In theory." Remus shrugged some. "He's still only fifteen. And its not like this is something he asked for, or abuses. Its not exactly a coveted ability, being able to see the future." He was trying to be tactful about telling Sirius that he'd fucked up.

He knew Sirius was already feeling the effects of missing twelve years of his life…he didn't want to make it worse by getting on his case.

Sirius snorted, though there was no amusement to it. "You can tell me when I've stuck my foot in it Remus, I think I'm old enough to handle it."

Remus glanced out of him from the corner of his eye. "Oh?"

"What I said to Sniv…Snape about everyone he knows going insane was obviously not the right thing to say."

"That's putting it mildly." He shook his head, trying to find the words to explain it. "I know you think Snape is the same bastard he was when we were in school, but he isn't. He's still pretty horrible, which I think is just part of his personality, or lack thereof, but he takes his son, and his responsibility, very seriously."

"It's hard to imagine Snape as someone's father."

"…You're kidding, right?"

"Yes, I realize its weird for us too."

"You get used to it. I think…having Chase made Snape different." Kind of like how having Siri had forced Remus to grow up, having Chase forced Snape to…change what he was. No more lurking around in dark castles and terrorizing people with his fangs.

At least not to Remus' knowledge. He did know Snape got a kick out of tormenting his students and making First Years wet themselves, but he was pretty sure he did that just by being himself, not flaunting his vampire side.

At least he hoped that was the case.

"He's the whole reason, other than loyalty to Dumbledore, that Snape is involved with the Order. If he wanted he could easily leave and stay among his kind, and not spare us a second thought, but he knows Chase wouldn't stand half a chance among full blood vampires."

The boy was…well, he was eccentric, to say the least. Maybe it was the way he was raised, taught independence and how to protect himself from birth, and he was a touch on the odd side, but mostly he was kind of…serene. Unshakable. Death, destruction, and chaos kind of slid off of him like water and Remus couldn't remember a time when he didn't smile readily, or have a joke ready.

"And the nymphs won't accept him." Remus said, glancing over at the lake. Right below the surface he could see the mere-people and the water nymphs, enjoying the warm day.

Snape's son was, really, a bit of a mutt. Not that Remus meant that offensively, but what was true was true. You'd think, for all of Snape's pureblood mania in school, that he'd at least pick a vampire woman as a lover, but instead he'd gone for a half-nymph.

Nymph's Grove was something Chase's half-brother, Brennan, had inherited when their mother was sentenced to life in St. Mungos. Chase was oddly fond of the place, and its less than human inhabitants. The manor was a large one, ridiculously so considering it belonged to two teenage boys and a vampire who would never dare set foot into Ireland, that almost put Remus' childhood home to shame (and that was no small feat).

"Hullo Mr. Lupin!" A house elf said, running towards them. Remus nodded towards it. "Mr. Siri is with Master Chase in the music room."

"Thanks." Remus smiled then motioned for Sirius to follow him.

The music room was a small building off of the side of the house. It was the only thing that Chase's mother had left to him, as opposed to his brother, along with all of the instruments inside. Remus knew that Chase guarded the room and its contents fiercely, not allowing anyone except his father and Siri inside.

Remus had never, in spite of knowing Chase the vast majority of his life, gone inside. He didn't mind, as this was the only piece to a large part of who he was that the teen had, but he did kind of wonder why Siri got the privilege. The boy was pretty much musically hopeless, and that was putting it lightly.

You'd think, considering how well he could hear different pitches, he might be good at it but no…Siri was truly the type of person who should never be allowed musical instruments, for the good of all those around him.

They reached the building quickly. It was a cream colored building, with the walls and windows done in blue. It was simple, though it hadn't always been. It had once been deep blue and covered in intricate white wave designs, but Chase didn't share his mothers desire to stand out.

Remus walked past a window then stopped and looked in rolling his eyes, before rapping on the window. As he'd suspected, any academic pursuits had been abandoned in favor of more…personal ones. Siri and Chase were, or had been at least, rather attached at the lips.

"I swear, I've told him a million times, do not snog the vampire." He muttered, walking towards the door. In a general sense, Remus didn't care whom his son was interested in, but…well Chase drank blood. It made him uneasy.

"And I've told you a million and one, I do not like the taste of wolves." The door opened and a petite boy stuck his head out, smiling wryly. "Hullo Remus."

"Chase." Remus looked over the teen and saw his son sitting on the floor, face buried in his hands. Siri was probably bright red and borderline mortified. "I'd ask if you were having a good day but that'd just seem pointless."

Chase smiled and stepped out. He glanced over at Sirius, who was standing a few steps behind Remus, clearly a little wary at being so…exposed. Then he looked back at Remus and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I'd ask the same of you, but I think it'd be just as pointless."

"You are quite the cheeky runt Chase." Remus said, shaking his head. "This is Siri's father, Sirius Black."

Again Chase looked at Sirius and this time he smiled. "Yes. Nice to meet you Mr. Black."

Sirius blinked, as if the boy had just said something totally inconceivable and Remus sighed then whispered loudly.

"Sirius is fine Chase. Manners are lost of him."

"Ah. He may want to work on that for tonight."

Remus arched an eyebrow. "What's tonight?"

Chase stared at him, then his lips quirked. "Father didn't tell you?" Remus shook his head in the negative and Chase laughed, though there was less humor and more bitterness to it. "I have to host the vampire ball tonight. Every vampire under a hundred in the world, save my father, will be packed into the Scottish Den and I get to play gracious host. That's why I asked for Siri. I need an escort."

"You need an escort so you can make nice with some of the most dangerous, and high class, creatures in the world…and you want to take my son? Have you hit your head recently?"

Siri, who had been standing behind Chase for some time, scowled. "Real funny Da."

"I thought so." Remus said, smiling, before looking back down at Chase. "Are you even allowed to bring Wolflings?"

"It's my party, I think I can do whatever I damn well please." Chase shrugged and pointed at Siri. "If I want to bring a half-breed, a werewolf, and a convict to my party I will. If they don't like it, all of the appropriate exits will be very clearly marked."

"Right. Snape is really going to love you starting an civil war because you felt the need to pull rank on everyone."

"He wouldn't mind. It's not like he'd have to handle it he doesn't do anything. Neither do I for that matter." He scratched his head a bit absently. "As long as Helios keeps things running smoothly we just show up a few times a year and look menacing."

Which Remus knew all too well. During his stint as Snape's lover he'd gotten a taste of how vampire politics worked. Helios, Snape's mentor and a vampire who was well over a thousand, ran all of the day-to-day things, while Snape went to political parties and important meetings, and Chase played the perfect prince. Other than memorizing the names of the other Den leaders, Snape had no active role in the way his Den was run.

The vampire had told him once, while smirking, that Master Vampire simply wasn't a role he was cut out for, nor was it a responsibility he had ever wanted. He much preferred teaching at Hogwarts.

Remus made a face suddenly. Really, he'd thought when he and Snape had ended their relationship he'd never have to be involved with this type of thing again.

He took Chase by the shoulder and started steering him back towards the portal. "Let's get moving then, Prince Figurehead, and get this over with. I hate vampire gatherings."

"You and me both."

-

Sirius had to admit the boy was quite the shock. He was short, maybe smaller than Harry, (That was genetics though. Potter males just didn't luck out in the height department.) and very thin. His skin was pale, almost translucent, and there wasn't a hint of color to it. His hair was blond, almost white, yet Sirius could see ginger colored roots.

His eyes were his most striking feature, aside from the long and slightly hooked nose, (which confirmed that he was indeed Snape's child.) a strange mix of smoky gray and pink. …Well, his eyes and the sheer number of silver things in his ears.

"He gets bored very easily." Remus said, catching his look. "Give him twenty minutes, a ice cube and a straight pin and he'll put a hole almost anywhere."

"Clearly."

"I can hear you." Chase muttered from where he sitting on the ground. Siri was kneeling next to him, very carefully painting an image of Sirius' childhood home onto the wall, next to the already existing portals.

"When this is all over with, we can erase that, right?" Sirius asked, watching his son's delicate strokes. "I'd rather not have any access to that place so…close."

"Sure." Remus leaned against him slightly. "I'll even let you throw the paint thinner on it."

"Bugger that." Siri said, studiously ignoring the look Remus tossed his way. "This is really good. You can't just go destroying my art."

"Fine. I'll let you both throw paint thinner on it."

Siri muttered something and Chase giggled. Finally the younger teen sat back on his haunches and tilted his head off to the side, comparing his painting to the photo in his hand. Then he squinted before picking up his brush again and drawing a small '12'. That done he stood up and rubbed his stained hands onto the front of his jeans. Remus let out a long-suffering sigh.

"That's great Siri, stain your clothes."

"Sorry _Mum_."

"Real funny." Remus muttered stepping forward. "_Doras Sli._"

He tapped his wand onto the painting, willing it to become a doorway, then stepped back when the wall went from solid to fluid, the image rippling like the ones surrounding it. He observed it for a moment then, with a sigh, stepped through. He felt the familiar cool tingle the came with this particular spell as he went through the painting, before emerging into a hallway. He looked around, wondering where exactly they were.

He'd only been in this place once and it'd been for a very brief visit. Very, very brief. Because Sirius' family had pretty much hated him right off the back. He knew now it was because certain members could sense what he was, but at the time it'd been…well, self-esteem destroying.

"Professor Lupin?" The voice held a mixture of confusion and happiness. Remus turned and offered a smile towards the two redhead teens standing at the end of the hallway. He opened his mouth to say something, when someone ran into him. He fell forward, but stayed on his feet, before turning to steady the young vampire.

"Chase…"

"Sorry Remus." Gray-pink eyes looked up at him sheepishly. Remus sighed and let the teen go. For a vampire Chase was rather uncoordinated.

He pushed Chase to the side gently and waited for Siri, and then Sirius, to emerge from the portal. That done he tapped the wall next to the doorway and watched intently as it went smooth. He touched it and, satisfied that it was solid, turned back to the assembled group.

No one would be able to get through it until he re-enchanted the doorway.

"Ron, where's your mother?"

"In the kitchen." Ron said, though his gaze seemed to more focus on Chase, who was chewing a strand of his own hair anxiously, than it was on him. Remus arched an eyebrow then looked at Sirius, who blinked him.

"Well, it is your house."

"…Oh. Right." Sirius smiled slightly, feeling a little sheepish. He gestured for the others to follow and lead them towards the staircase that went to the kitchen. Everything was going grandly until:

"Sirius Black! How dare you set foot into this house! And bringing that…thing with you!" Sirius winced, and something like a chill ran up his spine. He glanced at the portrait, which showed his mother looking as lividly stern as ever. "Abominations! You corrupt the house of my fathers!"

Remus frowned slightly, not exactly fancying the idea of being called a thing or an abomination. Then again, Sirius' mum had always been a bit of a bitch and hadn't cared for him in the least, why should this be any different?

"We've been trying to shut her up all summer." Ron said shaking his head.

"Ha. She wouldn't shut up when I was young, why would she start now? Ignore her."

"Who is she?" Chase asked, eyeing the portrait.

"My mother." Sirius muttered, heading down the staircase.

Siri let out a dramatic sigh. "I'm totally devoid of decent relatives, aren't I?"

"Yes. Don't ever forget that." Remus said, putting a hand on his son's shoulder. "There is nothing but bad blood on both sides of your family, so don't associate with any of them."

"Leave this house!"

"Goodness, is she squawking again?" Mrs. Weasley's voice floated from the kitchen. Remus rather liked Mrs. Weasley to be honest. She struck him as the type who was much more than she seemed, and perfectly capable of keeping her entire pack, large as it was, in line. She ruled over her family like a she-wolf did over her brood and Remus could respect that.

Though he probably should have been a little bit disturbed that he could respect that. Sometimes he was sure the wolf inside of him was…not so much inside of him anymore. It was hard to explain exactly but he was pretty sure the fact he'd managed to outlive the average Half-Breed by four years had something to do with it.

People who were bitten didn't have a very long life-span. The oldest recorded had been forty-seven, and most died before thirty-three. Remus was either very lucky or very cursed. But that wasn't really the point.

He and the eldest Weasleys had met quite a few times since Harry's third year, both being among those that Albus trusted above all others. Remus had found she was quite the woman.

Fierce and strong, utterly set in her ways, but never anything short of loving and supporting. She held the Weasley family together…she was, really, everything Remus thought a mother should be and thus the exact opposite of his own mother.

Regina Lupin was a great many things, but more than anything she was an image concerned, self-absorbed woman. Remus was willing to acknowledge she'd had her moments of motherly affection when she tried to do right by him and his siblings, but mostly she viewed them as pretty little…accessories or dolls, for her perfect family 'set'.

And that was a role Remus hadn't really fit.

"Remus!" Mrs. Weasley said, looking up from whatever it was she'd been doing. Her hands were covered in flour, which she started to wipe onto her apron. Her eyes crinkled nicely when she smiled and pulled him into a hug. He let out a tiny gasp; for such a small woman she had quite the grip. And then she was letting him go and eyeing his guests.

Her eyes feel on Sirius for a moment and Remus could almost feel the other man start to squirm under her watchful gaze. Then, without comment, she looked at Siri and Chase, before frowning and clucking disapprovingly.

"Look at you four, skinny as wands. As bad as Harry no doubt." And with that she began to sweep around the kitchen and pull things out of cupboards. Remus exchanged a bemused look with Sirius, who just shrugged.

"Mrs. Weasley-"

"Molly, dear, I've told you plenty of times. You're a grown man after all."

"Yes, well-" She walked past him but gave a light push towards the table. "Umm…"

"Take a seat, all of you. No, not you two." She eyed her own children suspiciously. "Aren't you to be de-gnoming the back yard, not standing around staring at people?"

"Fred and George told us to get lost." Ron said, shoving his hands into his pockets. She rolled her eyes then went back to her work. "Professor-"

"You can call me Remus, Ron." He smiled at the boy as he took a seat. "And I suppose I should introduce you to these two. The disturbingly tall one-" Siri stuck of his tongue. "Is my son Sirius, but Siri is quite all right. The disturbing one, period, is Chase Pryce."

Chase rolled his eyes while Siri snickered, then raised a hand in greeting. Ginny smiled enthusiastically, as Remus had come to realize was her style, but Ron just raised a hand tentatively, eyes not leaving Chase. Chase smirked widely then blinked when a glass of deep purple liquid was put in front of him. His eyebrow went up, in a gesture that reminded Remus very much of Snape, before he leaned forward and sniffed it.

Then he turned to Mrs. Weasley, who was rummaging through the freezer. "Thank you Mrs. Weasley. I'd almost forgotten I hadn't fe…eaten today."

"And how, pray tell, do you forget such a thing?" Mrs. Weasley asked, tone stern. "It's a good thing Dumbledore told me to talk to your father about your eating habits, otherwise you might just waste away."

Chase shrank back some and looked at Remus, who shrugged, before swatting Sirius away from one of his biscuits. The other man stared at him for a moment, trying to look properly pathetic and, after a moment, Remus relented. Sirius smiled at him.

"It's purple." Siri said, watching Chase take a drink from his glass. "Has anyone noticed that it's purple and…hey, why do you get ice cream?"

"Special blend." Chase said, chuckling. "It's one of the few ways I can eat these days and not risk losing."

As of late Chase's Seer abilities had made him prone to seizures, long gaps when he was practically comatose, and throwing up blood. And, as he'd taken to saying, there was little more disturbing that a vampire throwing up blood, because, considering how much trouble they went through to get it in, heaving it back up was just…wrong.

He'd taken to a strictly liquid and frozen diet, to cut down on what he lost. His body absorbed what it needed faster in those forms.

"What's so special about it?" Ginny asked curiously. "It looks like strawberry, only with no berries in it."

"Trust me, I doubt you want any." Remus said mildly. Siri was still watching Chase's glass intently. "Siri-"

"It's purple!"

Chase rolled his eyes and pushed the glass to Siri who, rolling his eyes slightly heavenward, stuck a finger in then licked it. Remus was pretty sure he looked a little sick. …Then again, Mrs. Weasley had, undoubtedly, made his steak more rare than done for a reason (and he did prefer it that way) so his son licking blood probably shouldn't disturb him that much.

And yet it did. And that was good since he found he was rapidly…losing touch with things he once considered normal.

Sirius winced, but Siri just shrugged slightly while pushing it back to Chase. "You could have just said grape juice."

"Eh." Chase glanced at him from the corner of his eye. "Ice cream?"

"No." Siri said, tone firm. He looked slightly green. "I've seen the house elves make it."

"I don't get it. It looks normal to me," Ron said finally. Chase looked up at him slowly, eyebrow arching, then nodded at his bowl.

"Do you want to try?"

"Uh…"

"Go right on ahead." Mrs. Weasley said, putting a hand on her hip. "If you want to pester you might as well get it over with."

Chase held out the spoon obligingly. Remus put a hand over his eyes. Once Ron found out he was eating a mixture of animal blood, human blood, cream, milk and sugar, he was going to be throwing up for at least a week. (Remus estimated a week because the first time he'd been tricked into he'd been sick for three days and still couldn't eat strawberry or peppermint ice cream.)

"Moony-" Sirius said, leaning in to whisper to him.

"He's a vampire Sirius, take a guess." He felt Sirius wince, again, then shrugged. "It won't hurt him any otherwise Mrs. Weasley wouldn't let him."

Ron put the spoon in his mouth and Siri slid low in his seat, while Chase smiled something that was a cross between amused and gleeful. Ron handed the spoon back, considering.

"It's kind of…salty."

"Sirius!" Remus, Siri, and Chase all leapt up form the table, taking with food with them in case, just as a swirl of color pounced Sirius. Sirius could only laugh, wide-eyed, as he was knocked to the floor, taking out his and Remus' chair in the process. "How are you? I wanted to see you before, but I got held up, and then I wanted to come to the Den but Remus told me that maybe a little 'adjusting' time was in order."

"I'm fine Nymph'." He said, reaching up to push the woman up some.

She scowled, hair finally settling on lavender. It made Remus wonder if Siri's own shape shifting was less his doing and something from Sirius' side of the family. Obviously Tonk's got it somewhere, and probably not from her father since he was Muggle-born.

The Black family had a lot of Magical Creature blood flowing about. None of it seemed to effect Sirius who had once whined about being tragically human while everyone around him was just a little beyond _ordinary_. But that didn't mean it couldn't have skipped a generation.

"You know I hate that. Just Tonks." She said, standing up and pulling him with her. "Anyway, I-" She stopped and turned, eyes falling on the small group huddled by the wall. Remus could only assume Ron and Ginny knew all about Tonk's…accident-prone ways. She beamed.

"Come're puppy."

"Now who's using annoying names?" Siri asked, setting his food down and walking over.

She ignored that and hugged him. They really were very fond of each other, which really lead Remus to believe that Tonk's had long since told Siri they were related in more than a Godmother-Godson sort of way. (Remus had, in an attempt to keep Tonk's close while still keeping Sirius a secret, named her his Godmother. He suspected he might have been drinking that day.)

"And my favorite vampire." She continued. Chase smiled weakly.

"Tonks, as much as I'd love a hug, I don't think I can take it today. I'd rather not do the whole projectile blood vomit thing in front of everyone." Remus made a face but the blond just shrugged. "Well it's true."

"I understand." Tonks said, flashing Remus a smile, before turning back to Sirius. "So, what'd you think of the puppy? Have Remus and I done a decent job?"

"Vampire?" Ron echoed. Remus nodded, patting him on the back soothingly. "Special…does that mean that's…?"

"Blood flavored? That's the general idea."

"What's wrong with him?" Tonks asked, watching Ron turn and flee the room.

"He ate Chase's ice cream."

"Really? I thought he was too smart to just go eating anything-" Ginny snorted loudly, drawing a disapproving look from her mother. "Oh well. Sirius you'll never guess-"

"Not to interrupt," Charlie Weasley was standing in the doorway of the kitchen. "We kind of need the kitchen now."

Ginny heaved a sigh and started for the doorway, knowing that was her clue to leave. Charlie ruffled her hair playfully, but she just stuck out her tongue in reply. Remus sighed and turned to his son and the teen vampire.

"Sorry you two, but its time to go."

"Actually the vampire is supposed to say." Charlie said as he leaned against the doorframe.

Chase frowned. "I have a name."

"Why?" Remus asked, frowning. The redhead shrugged.

"Dumbledore's orders."

Remus put a hand on the teen's shoulder. He wasn't sure he liked the idea. "Has he talked to Snape?"

"I would assume."

"Da-"

"Later Siri. Go make sure Ron isn't too sick, would you?"

The teen rolled his eyes and, with a wave at Chase, walked out, supposedly in search of the Weasley children. Once he gone Remus let go of Chase and motioned for the teen to sit back down at the table, before sitting down as well. He wasn't going to claim to be an expert on Snape, or what he'd allow Chase to do, but he sincerely doubted the other man wanted his son within five meters of Order business.

Albus was playing a dangerous game if he thought differently…

-

-

-


	4. Blood Debts

You're the Only One I See

XXXXXXXXXXXX  
Chapter Four  
The Blood Debt  
XXXXXXXXXXXX

Remus had to admit having Chase present at the meeting made him uneasy, and he knew he wasn't the only one who felt that way. Kingsley and Arthur kept eying the teen warily, but didn't say anything as everyone went over what was going on in the Wizarding World.

Chase just listened with the single-mindedness of someone of someone who had been raised by Severus Snape, the most feared teacher in Europe. He was almost surprised the teen wasn't taking notes on what was being said.

Then Chase's gaze flickered away and he frowned. He tilted his head off to the side, in a gesture Remus knew indicated deep thought. Finally he leaned towards Remus, voice dropping to a whisper.

"It is just my humble opinion but maybe someone should keep a closer eye on that house-elf. He really doesn't like us." Remus arched an eyebrow then turned slightly when Chase motioned to steel grate in the wall.

"How do you-"

"I can hear his heartbeat."

Remus decided not to question it. He drew out is wand and pointed it at the grate. "Accio Kreacher." There was a loud squeal then a thumping, before a house-elf came racing out of the grate. He rolled then bounced, ending up on the table in front of Dumbledore. Hestia blinked, falling silent, and stared at the elf, who cursed at them furiously.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "And here I was hoping he'd died."

"Now Sirius, that's hardly fair." Albus said, chuckling. Sirius just stared at him, unaffected. "Remus, if you would be so kind as to send him somewhere where he won't be a problem?" Remus considered that for a moment then, with a shrug, banished Kreacher to the basement.

Or at least he hoped it was the basement. He'd been here once or twice over twenty years ago, he couldn't say for sure if he hadn't just sent Kreacher six feet into the ground to be crushed by tons of dirt. Either way he doubted anyone would mind. The last thing they needed was an eavesdropping house-elf roaming about and being underfoot.

"Thank you Hestia." Dumbledore smiled at the woman, then turned serious again. "Sirius, as I'm sure you've figured out Pettigrew will have told Voldemort about you. That's why I called you back here, I believe it'd be safest if you stayed indoors for…the time being." Sirius scowled. Remus understood why, Sirius wasn't one for being cooped up. Being a wanted fugitive wouldn't quell his urge to move around. Albus watched him snowy eyebrow arching some.

Sirius sighed. "I'll stay put."

Dumbledore nodded, and then folded his hands onto the table. "We are, clearly, few in number. Already Voldemort has triple our forces, and he's gathering more as we speak. We will need allies, and many of them, if we hope to win the impending war. Though I am…loathe to admit it, the only wizards we can count on are Muggle Borns." A few at the table bristled. "I know it seems harsh, but many older families, if they don't firstly support him, share Voldemort's ideals or are loyal to Fudge. Many half-bloods will also be drawn into his fold, as they will see us as only caring for the Muggle Born wizards."

"Being Muggle-born is no guarantee of loyalty." Sirius muttered, eyes darkening. "It didn't stop Wormtail from joining Voldemort. Some people would rather be a pet to a ruler, than equal with those who have no chance."

Dumbledore was silent a moment then nodded. "Yes Sirius, you are right. We can only hope this isn't the case for most."

"If we can't trust Wizards, who do you propose we trust?" Moody asked, magical eye fixing on Dumbledore for a moment. Dumbledore smiled at him. "Albus-"

"Remus I want to send you to the European Werewolf Council, to see if the werewolves may be willing to call an international meeting, to discuss the war and their status in it."

Remus pressed his lips into a straight line. "I'd really rather not. They don't care for me much you know."

They didn't really. He'd approached them once, after Siri was born, to see if they really gave a damn about their own and, while they would have been willing to help his son, they said as long as he wasn't part of a pack they couldn't help him.

"That's hardly true Remus. They have rules they must follow, as we all do."

"Then I'm still subject to those rules. I haven't suddenly joined a pack."

Albus snorted then nodded towards Sirius. "Are you sure?"

Remus sighed. "Sirius isn't a werewolf."

"Neither is your son, but the Council still demands you keep them updated on him." Dumbledore's tone was mild. He had a point, but Remus didn't say that out loud. "You have a mate and a cub. That qualifies as a pack by most standards."

He couldn't stop the words from spilling forth, though he wasn't sure where in the world they came from. "Sirius isn't my mate."

Chase muttered something that Remus was pretty sure he didn't want repeated, as it was surely an insult on his intelligence. Everyone else was quiet, staring between the two of them. Sirius just looked at him for a moment, then turned away and occupied himself with looking at the wall.

He sighed, putting a hand over his eyes. It was true, Sirius wasn't his mate, but he should have kept that to himself for the time being. It wasn't like he didn't want Sirius; he had just been stating a fact. And from now on he was going to be quiet.

He barely heard Molly agreeing to speak to the Fire Nymphs about their allegiances, if any, before Dumbledore turned his attention to Chase. The teen spoke first.

"If you want me to talk to the Water Nymphs I'd caution against it. Other than a few parlor tricks water magic isn't something I've excelled at."

"I've heard. I was hoping to call the other part of your heritage into usefulness." Dumbledore said either ignoring or not seeing how wide Chase's eyes went. "You are Prince of the Scottish Den-"

"In name only! I go to a party twice a year, that's it. I have no sway within-"

"We will need allies. The Den will follow you and your father, as if their duty-"

"They would follow my father." Chase said, shaking his head. "I am a hybrid, and even if I weren't I am weak. My…visions keep me from being any use. I'm more of a joke than someone worthy of respect. They would follow Remus before they followed me."

"You think?" Remus asked, eyeing him curiously.

"Sure. Helios and Maggie think you handle yourself very well. For a werewolf anyway."

"Gentlemen." Albus called attention back to him. "Chase, your father is spying for us and has broken The Neutrality Without Council law." The look on Chase's face said he knew that already. "He will not be welcomed into the Den anymore. I must know what the Dens are planning, respectively, and where their alliances will fall."

"And you will not find out through me. I will not be your spy." Chase said eyes becoming a dark steely gray. "Not against my own people. I am not my father and I know when to keep my nose out of other people's affairs. If you wish to find out who the leaders want to ally with I suggest you owl them or wait for the outcome of the next Den meeting."

Silence reigned supreme for a moment, no one daring to speak a word. Remus doubted very much that he had ever heard anyone refuse Dumbledore at all, let alone with such an air of…finality.

Remus smiled slightly. Maybe Chase would make a better leader than he and Snape liked to let on. For a boy who was barely fifteen he was surprising calm and collected.

Finally Dumbledore frowned.

"It would seem you did inherit something from your mother."

Chase's pierced eyebrow went up and practically became part of his scalp. Remus as well had a moment's pause as he stared at the older wizard. Bringing up Chase's mother was nothing short of cruel and potential suicide if Snape got wind of it.

"You mean beyond impending insanity and lovely red hair?" His eye twitched and slowly the pupils began to widen. Remus ducked as the sink abruptly…well, exploded in a shower of water. (So much for being short on Water Magic.) One of the handles whizzed past Sirius' head at a speed that could only be labeled as 'worrisome'.

If Albus was impressed he didn't show it. (Which was fine, because Remus was slowly but surely making his way to terrified enough for everyone in the room. He'd never seen a nymph in action, as most magical creatures kept to themselves, and he didn't want to go changing that. And it was becoming very clear that Chase's control over his magic was related to his anger and such a connection wasn't good for anyone present.)

"I was speaking of your stubborn nature. Your mother never bowed to anyone, not even the Dark Lord. So I suppose you have forced my hand. I will invoke the Blood Debt your father owes to me and demand your loyalty."

If Remus thought things had gone silent before, now it was possible to hear and identify the individual heartbeat of each person in the room. It was so quiet Remus fancied for a moment he'd be able to hear the thoughts of the people around him.

A blood debt was a serious matter. It would bond a person to the other person's services until one of the participants died, or the debtor was released from the pact. They were usually only called upon when a serious favor had been done, such as saving a life.

Chase was silent a moment then bowed his head, bleach blond hair sliding and hiding his face. "I accept the debt, passed on by my father, in the tradition of all those who carried the name before me." He muttered this, sounding somewhere between listless and betrayed.

Then he glanced at Remus and he was surprised to see the teen on the verge of tears. And vampire tears were nothing to take lightly, they were crimson, the color of blood, and tended to…alarm most people. Remus reached out to touch his shoulder but the teen jerked away and stood up. He kept his head down but swept out of the room in a fashion that he only could have learned from Snape.

Again silence reigned. Finally Remus scowled at Albus. "I suppose you have a reason for that."

"His help is needed."

"Needed so badly you have to force him into it?" Remus asked, eyes narrowing. "A blood debt Albus? He's barely fifteen years old!"

"And I suppose you think I should wait until the vampires have joined with the Dark Lord to ask him to speak to them? I'm sure he'll be of age by then."

"I think you should have given him a choice."

Dumbledore regarded him, eyes cold. "We're headed for a war Remus, this is hardly something a person can pick and choose about."

"That doesn't give you the right to force him." Remus pushed his chair back finding he suddenly found the company less than pleasing. "What sort of war are we entering that you must enlist children to do your fighting?"

oooooooooooooooooooo

Finding Chase was far from a hard thing to do. The smell of blood led Remus straight to him without a problem. He was in a room that seemed to have been cleaned recently, as the windows were open and a faint musty scent clung to the air.

Chase was sitting- no he was straddling the windowsill, one leg hanging out of the window and the other bent under his body. One hand gripped the sill and the other used to prop himself up against the window frame.

If not for that fact that a fall wouldn't hurt Chase in the least he may have been worried. He walked in being careful to not mask his footsteps, as he was prone to doing. It added an air of mystery when he popped in and out silently.

"Chase-"

"Forgive their foolishness Goddess, for they know not what they do." Chase murmured. His voice was raspy suddenly and a touch on the thick side. "They know not…" His brow furrowed as he sighed. "What they do."

"Do you want-"

"Sometimes I wonder if I can change what I see." Chase said, shifting so his back was against the window frame. "Would it make a difference if I told someone, or would it all end up the same anyway? How can I tell what is fated to be from what I can alter?"

"What do you see?"

"I see a war that will rage for a decade. I see you, withered and weathered, all happiness lost. I see my home in flames. I see love." His lips pursed. "Pewter, I think, would make great rings for the mating ceremony. Silver is out, obviously, and gold is just tacky."

"Chase-"

"I see death." Pink-gray eyes stared into his own. "Do you think I could stop it? Stop death? My father claims that he can put a stopper in death but really he can't even stop me from tearing myself apart. In the end its all useless if we just…fall through a veil and slip out of sight."

"Are you asking me if I think you should tell what you see?" Remus asked, keeping his tone soft. He reached out and pulled the teen back into the room before guiding him towards the bed. "I can understand why you shouldn't. The moment people think you're the solution to mortality you'll be taken and used for their own personal gain. The Ministry'd gladly cage you up for the rest of forever-"

"And since vampires live at least five hundred years forever would be damn near close to forever."

"And I can see the upsides. You could stop the people you love from coming to harm, maybe obstruct death off just a little longer. Or maybe you can't. I rather think it would harm you more to try and then find out you're truly powerless."

"That I suffer visions for no reason at all." He intoned. "That I am powerless."

"I wouldn't call it powerless."

"I saw myself die." His lips quirked into a smile.

"Oh?" Remus frowned, leaning towards the teen, not wanting to miss a single word of what he may have to say. Part of him shivered at the idea. Many people claimed to want to know when they died but Remus found he didn't subscribe to that line of thinking.

Want to know why? So you can stop it? And if Death can't be stopped, so you can leave in fear of that day for the rest of your life? No, he couldn't help but think knowing when you were going to die was nothing short of chilling. And for Chase it had to be worse. If he could witness his own death who else may he have seen? Snape, Siri, maybe even Remus himself had graced Chase's visions.

The teen had to itch to tell him, to spill everything and have the responsibility leave his shoulders, was probably bursting at the seams with the desire. But he couldn't. Wouldn't perhaps.

Why place that burden on others?

"I saw myself in a window and I was waiting, because that's what I do. I wait for the things I see to happen and I wager my own death will be no different. And then I am falling. And normally, of course, a fall wouldn't frighten me, but this is a fall like no other. And then I'm gone. Charlemagne Pryce…is gone."

"…Your names not really Charlemagne is it?"

Chase looked at him sharply. "Remus!"

Remus shook his head. "Charlemagne? Can you even spell that?"

"It has been my given name for over fifteen years." Came the dry response.

"That's a horrid name. No wonder you insist on Chase."

"Father insists on Chase, he thought it'd be easier for simple minded werewolves to recall." The boy growled through gritted teeth. Remus however found himself smiling and nodding.

"Yes, I suppose he would. If you don't mind me asking-"

"Charlemagne Selwyn."

"The more you speak, the worse it gets."

Chase rolled his eyes and shoved Remus playfully, but a smile hovered over his lips. And really that's what Remus had been going for. He wrapped an arm around the teen and pulled him into a hug. He really did adore Chase, multiple piercing, son snogging, and all.

"Remus?"

"Hmm?"

"Do me a favor. When Siri hates me, make sure he knows I forgive him."

Remus arched an eyebrow. "What are you talking about now? Seer or not, if you think Siri could ever hate you, you've lost your mind."

"Maybe." Chase sighed and, with a smile, untangled himself from Remus. "I won't need you three tonight. I'd rather go and spy on my kind alone, you know? More respectful."

"Okay but-"

"I'll take the portal back to the manner and Helios will get me. That's what he does you know. I'll be back soon." He stood up, raking his fingers through his hair. "Besides, things are about to get hectic around here anyway."

"What do you mean hectic?" Remus asked, tone wary.

"What the hell was that!" Siri's' voice echoed through the household. Chase smiled and Remus sighed before standing up as well.

"I see."

"Later." Chase said, head inclining just slightly to the side as if he were seriously considering something. He didn't say anything so, with one last glance at the teen, Remus headed down to see what all the commotion was about.

XXXXXXXXXX

Summer: Thank you, I'm glad you like it. As far people reading…the summery kind of sucks. That could be it.

Moon-N-star: Chase is…well, I suppose he could be attractive. Depends on how you view Snape. He is Snape's son after all. I, personally, wouldn't consider Snape 'attractive' exactly, but striking. (I like Alan Rickman as older Snape and think D.J. Qualls as a younger Snape.) And so Chase isn't 'sexy', but he'd catch your attention.


	5. In Which People Leave

You're The Only One

XXXXXXXXXXXXX  
Chapter Five  
In which people leave  
XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Siri stifled a yawn and blinked blurry eyed at the figure moving around a few paces from him. He pushed himself up, blowing a strand of hair from his face, then cleared his throat. Chase jumped and nearly pitched over.

"Very graceful Chase."

"You scared the hell out of me." The blond hissed at him, eyes flashing. Siri shrugged and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He and Chase had been put into a room with the youngest of the Weasley boys. Who, if the light snoring was any indication, was still very much asleep. Siri was willing to chalk it up to lack of 'super human' senses.

To Siri's ears Chase's movements had sounded like the other boy was stomping around right next to his head, but to Ron…well, Chase may have been relatively silent.

"What're you doing?"

"I told you earlier, I have to host this party." Chase frowned at him then flopped onto the end of his bed. A pair of black boots were in his hands. He bent and began to put them on. Platinum strands of hair slipped from their tie and brushed against Chase's face.

Siri swallowed, trying to force himself to be calm.

"You're going without me?"

"Yes." Chase didn't sound the least bit sorry. It was more like he was telling the time then telling Siri he was going to go spend the night entertaining vampires by himself.

"No."

Chase sat up with a sigh, before shooting him a look that was laced with contempt. "Look, this is no place for little puppies. Another time, when it's just my den, okay?"

"No." Siri let the sting of being called a baby slide off. (Puppy indeed…) "You can't really think I'm just going to let you run off and deal with these people alone. You've said it yourself: They only put up with you because they have to."

"Siri-"

"I'm coming. …or else I'll have to wake my father up." Chase's eyes widened in surprise. Siri bit his bottom lip. It was a forbidden act to tell an adult when one of your friends was up to something, but that didn't mean Siri wouldn't do it. He'd just feel really bad about it later on.

"Siri." Chase was almost, but not quite pouting, and Siri's heart did a fantastic job of skipping a beat or two. His father would have thrown a fit if he knew just how much he cared about the vampire. Remus seemed violently against the idea of him with Chase in a more than friendly manner, but Siri wasn't entirely sure what he could do about it.

Something in Chase just…effected him.

"Your father already knows I'm going."

Siri was struck silent. His father was letting Chase go on his own? With no one to watch over him and keep him safe and… He sat down on his bed heavily and with a sigh Chase sat on his own, head tilted off to the side. He couldn't believe this.

Something niggled at the back of his mind and he tried to shove it away so he could think of a way to force Chase to let him go alone. But it wouldn't go away. He frowned, trying to figure it out. Something in the room seemed out of place.

Other than the fact that his best friend was ditching him. He still couldn't believe it! How could his dad just let him

Oh.

The snoring had ceased. Judging by the way Chase was stretched on his bed, eyes almost glowing in the darkness, with a bored expression on his face he hadn't notice.

Figured. Super-human senses be damned, Chase was oblivious. If he didn't see it in one of those flashes of his it didn't exist. He watched the mound that was the other teen, eyes narrowing as he concentrated. He could hear a heartbeat, fast and pounding. The breathing was slightly uneven. Ron was nervous.

Sharing a room with a vampire would do that to a person. Well, when they were awake at least and Ron was most definitely awake.

Siri walked over to the redhead and leaned over him.

"You realize it's really rude to sneak up on people like that, right?" Ron's voice rasped from somewhere…that wasn't the bed. There was a click and then the light was on, shining bright and harsh to his sensitive eyes.

He let out a low whine while shielding his eyes. He heard Chase hiss, the squeak of bedsprings, and the light was off. He turned to see Chase seemingly towering over Ron, fangs bared. The redhead was cowering.

Funny, since Chase was more than a few centimeter's short of reaching Ron's shoulders. And yet very scary and intimidating and not just a little bit arousing.

But Siri was a pervert. A terrible, horrible, and unrepentant pervert.

"Don't do that. Creatures of the night here."

"Sorry." Ron squeaked.

Chase drew back and giggled. "No problem. C'mon puppy, I've gotta go."

"Stop calling me that." Chase graced him with a wide and very annoying smirk that said, in no uncertain terms, that he had no plans to stop. "Chase, you can't really be considering this."

"Sure I can." Chase shook his head. "I've got to go. Familial duty and all of that stuff." Then he scowled and muttered something under his breath that even Siri wasn't able to catch. Whatever it was it was pretty obvious he was annoyed about it.

"You can't just…leave." Ron added.

"Look I'm leaving. But," The blond's expression softened slightly. "I appreciate the concern Ron."

Siri had to admit he didn't share the vampire's sentiment. He was, in fact, pretty sure he didn't like Ron. In the least. It had something to do with the way Chase had been watching him earlier. He couldn't put it into words exactly but something about how Chase regarded Ron made Siri want to snatch the redhead's face off.

"You can't go Chase." Siri said, putting his arms over his chest. He half-hoped the stance would be…convincing and make Chase agree with him. Realistically he knew there was no way in hell that was going to happen, because that wasn't how his friend worked.

But a bloke could hope.

Chase tilted his head off to the side. "And why ever not?"

There was something in his tone that made it very clear to Siri that he was about to enter dangerous territory. He sounded too sweet to be for real. Chase may have been an easy-going person, but he was by no means 'sweet'. It wasn't in the genetics.

"You can't…you…" He didn't want to say it out loud. He knew the minute he so much as thought that Chase wouldn't be able to take care of himself he was in for hell. But that was it, in a nutshell. He was afraid that if no one was around to protect him that he'd be hurt.

He was a half-breed among powerful vampires and if that wasn't enough of a reason than the fact he could pretty much fall comatose at any moment had to be a good one. And yet it was pretty obvious that Chase wasn't concerned with it.

And he should be. Siri was tempted to throw him until the closet until the morning, except that there was something making weird sounds inside of it. And Chase was a vampire, so when he got out there was a chance Siri would get his arse kicked.

There was nothing so humiliating as being whipped by a midget.

"I what? Can't take care of myself?" Chase's tone had an edge of mocking to it. "What is it? Poor Chasey can't protect himself and might get hurt? I might break a nail? Be yelled at by one of the other vampires? You think I'm weak."

"I don't-"

"But you do." Chase shrugged as if to say he didn't care. "We're not fighting. I'm leaving. You're going back to sleep. So are you." He pointed at Ron. "I'll see you in a few days."

And he was gone. The door shut with a soft click after him and Siri was left sitting on his bed, staring after him. Ron was standing exactly where he'd been before a bewildered expression on his face. Siri sighed and flopped back.

He heard Ron shuffling about and eventually getting back into his bed.

"If it makes you feel any better I get left behind a lot too."

He considered the idea of Ron being left behind when Harry Potter ran off on his adventures. Pursed his lips for a moment as he let the idea roll around in his head.

Reached a conclusion very quickly.

"Shut up."

00000000000000000000

Remus sighed and looked around. He was in the front office of Head of the European Werewolf Council. It was a very…distinguished looking office. Hardwood furniture, carefully painted cream walls and carpet, photos of former Heads. Unlike the pictures he was used to there stayed perfectly still and stared forward with cold distant eyes.

Speaking of cold, Remus was in it pretty deep. Sirius was giving him something that closely resembled the cold shoulder and Siri had thrown a tantrum of sorts when he'd told the teen he had to run 'errands' for Dumbledore. It seemed the teen was still smarting over being left behind by Chase and had seen fit to take it out on him.

Logically Remus knew that Siri was just being the spoiled brat that he was deep inside but he couldn't help but wince at the thought of the teen claiming to hate him.

Remus looked over at the man sitting a few meters from him. His fingers were flying over a typewriter and his eyes were completely trained on a sheet of paper on his desk. Remus assumed he was the secretary for Master Richard Pitt.

Master Pitt was, of course, the man that he was there to see. Remus didn't know a lot about the Council since he hadn't even known they'd existed until after Siri had been born. The idea of a place that kept tags on werewolves and their families, being sure that they were comfortable and in no danger had seemed fantastic then.

He'd always assumed that werewolves were solitary creatures who wandered the world, bemoaning their damnation and hiding from society. As it turned out it was only Half-Blood Werewolves who did the whole self-pity thing. Then again, it was also only Half-Bloods who were 'cursed' as it were. Only they changed at the moon in the most painful way possible and only they couldn't shift at will. Siri was more of a 'real' werewolf than he was.

Not that Remus was typical for a Half-Blood.

Half-Bloods usually wandered around for years, alone and cut off from everyone they had once known, until they eventually went mad from the loneliness. Werewolves weren't meant to be alone. Like wolves they were pack creatures, desperately needing companionship and a family. Cutting themselves off the way they did guaranteed madness.

And it was, ironically enough, that madness that made the Werewolf Council shun them. Remus thought it a pretty interesting cycle. Werewolf goes mad from being alone, because werewolf is mad the Council rejects them, werewolf continues to go mad.

And, in that madness, finds and bits another person. It was explained by scholars as occurring in the last stages of life. So needy for another in their lives they'd spread the 'poison'. Naturally the person they bite would reject them and eventually the werewolf simply faded from existence.

Most bitten werewolves didn't live past forty and were completely mad by their mid-thirties.

But not him. It could be chalked up to the fact he was from a Wizarding family, as opposed to being a Muggle with no concept of werewolves or councils. But he had a feeling it had more to do with the fact that he'd never really been alone.

Sure his parents and siblings were miserable useless people, but they hadn't abandoned him or turned him over to the Ministry after he'd been bitten. His parents had siphoned their entire fortune into trying to cure them (As they were oh so fond of pointing out on the rare occasion he spoke to them.) and his siblings had never alienated him or blamed him for it. (It was, after all, more fun to mock him for the stuff he could control.)

And in Hogwarts he'd had his friends, the most fiercely loyal people he'd ever encountered. At the time anyway. Then it'd been him and Sirius, and then he'd had Siri.

There may have been times he felt alone, but he'd never actually been _alone._ And he was willing to acknowledge that something inside of him accepted certain people and that they were the most important things in his life.

And those that he didn't accept were regarded with suspicion and wariness, because they weren't…accepted. Part of the family he'd made for himself.

And he didn't mean family in just Sirius and Siri. He meant Chase and Snape, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and McGonagall and Albus. The people he'd put his life on the line for.

But that was a theory.

The point was that, save the occasional breakdown, he'd escaped insanity and probably would live past forty. Though sometimes he wondered. Hence the fear of getting older. The powerful wizards could live well past a hundred but him…what if forty was really it? If that was the case he wouldn't even see his son graduate.

"Mr. Lupin."

He jumped, startled by the voice. He turned to see Master Pitt standing in the doorway of his now open office, a kind smile on his face. Pitt was an older man (how old Remus wasn't even going to try to guess) with bright blue eyes and salt-and-pepper hair. He had wrinkles around his eyes and mouth, Remus imagine from smiling, and he seemed like the grandfatherly sort you couldn't help but want to talk to.

Kind of like Albus only without the air of crackling power. Dumbledore was kind but he was by no means benign and he never gave the appearance that he was. At least not to Remus.

"Master Pitt. Thanks for agreeing to see me."

"My pleasure." The smile widened as he stood aside to let Remus in. He shut the door and took a seat at his desk. "I know quite a bit about you."

"Really?" Remus couldn't hide his surprise. "I didn't think you kept up on…my kind."

"Half-bloods." The man's smile seemed to falter. "Yes, I'm afraid my predecessor, Master Scotts, was less than kind to those he didn't think worthy of the Council's aid or time."

Remus didn't say anything. Really, what could, he say? It wasn't like the Wizarding world or the Ministry was a hell of a lot better. While Half-bloods and Muggle-Borns were allowed it was a rare occasion that they got far in the Ministry or became important figures. As long as 'Pure Blood schools' and 'Pure Blood Clubs' existed they probably never would.

Remus had never had a chance in hell to be much of anything. A half-blood werewolf.

"However my daughter recently married a half-blood. Quite the impressive lad if I may say so myself, though I could be biased." Pitt seemed genuinely pleased and proud, blue eyes lighting up as he spoke.

Remus wondered if he'd ever be talking about Siri like that. Not that he wasn't proud of his son, he just had the strange feeling that whoever Siri ended up bringing home was going to…well, be insane. That was just the way the Wolfling's taste seemed to run.

"From a Wizarding family of course. As I'm sure you know Half-Bloods from open-minded Wizarding families tend to fare better than those from Human families or close minded families." Pitt sighed. "I've been thinking of starting a new Division, Half-Blood Affairs. To try and…stop what goes on. It seems to me that if the Council reaches out to Half-Bloods, of all families, that we can save them from the madness."

That was probably the most sane idea Remus had ever heard from a person in a position of power. This did mean he was going to have to rethink his 'all politicians are idiots' belief though. The idea that someone was actually willing to consider change struck him as…amazing.

"That sounds wonderful."

The man nodded then leaned back in his seat. "I understand you have a young pup. Sirius? Named after his father."

"Yes." Remus wanted to ask how he knew all of that but thought it rather…unwise.

"In a Wizarding school?" Remus nodded. "Well, when he's done you should consider one of the Wiccan Universities. Train him in his natural magic. Shifting is an ability that has to be carefully controlled you understand. And, perhaps, extended upon with time. Perhaps training him to resist the pull of the moon and better retain his mind when he shifts."

"I was thinking of Atlantis. A wizard is…causing problems and I'd thought of sending Siri to another realm to keep him out of trouble."

The man smiled wryly. "Well I'd imagine a realm that can only be accessed through an underground volcano is going to very effective in that goal." Remus actually blushed. "Nothing to be ashamed of my boy. You aren't the only one thinking of such things, many packs are thinking of leaving for safer places. This Voldemort, and the war he means to start, worries many."

"It should. Last time he was around things were bad and I think he means to do more damage now than he did before." Safe to say this time around he was really angry and probably insane. That whole having his body destroyed by an infant had to put a guy on edge.

"That's why you're here. You represent Albus Dumbledore."

"Dumbledore wants to know where the Werewolf Packs will stand in this. We're hoping for neutrality, but wouldn't turn down aid." And Remus didn't want to consider them siding with the Dark Lord. If he managed to gather magical creatures to his side they didn't stand much of a chance.

"Last time we remained neutral and the fights spilled into the communities of Packs. Some were lost. I would choose to side with any who are opposed to Voldemort." Remus could hardly believe that. It seemed that he owed Albus an apology because this wasn't a completely lost cause. "However-"

Damn it.

"I cannot make a choice for the Packs. The Alphas must vote at the next Council meeting and what gets the majority opinion is what we will do."

Fair enough. "When is the next meeting?"

"Three years." Pitt smiled a touch ruefully at Remus' horrified look. "Things don't change often I'm afraid, so we only meet every five years."

"That's going to be a problem. Can't you call an…emergency meeting."

"I suppose. It'll take time and resources to track down all of the packs. I don't really have either to spare but perhaps-"

"I could do it. Tracking them down. …With help."

Pitt blinked slowly, as if he hadn't expected that. Then he offered a half-smile. "I think we can work something out Mr. Lupin."


End file.
